


you know for me (it’s always you)

by anserpina



Series: magic all around us [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff, Gryffindor Prefect Lance, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Language, Quidditch Captain Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 12:03:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16158599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anserpina/pseuds/anserpina
Summary: “There’s only two causes for someone’s patronus to change. One cause is a great loss, usually relating to the passing of someone dear. While Mr. McClain was indeed asleep in my class earlier today, he was most definitely alive, so that cannot be the case here.” He looked at Keith’s confused face for just a moment before he continued. “The other cause is intense emotion, perhaps one that the conjurer has never felt before.”“What are you saying, exactly?”Thace grinned fully at that. “You’re in love.”or: Keith finally says those three little words.// Written for Klance Month 2018 //





	you know for me (it’s always you)

**Author's Note:**

> sixth year at hogwarts and those two dumb gryffindors are still in love smh
> 
> this series is taking longer than anticipated but it’s coming along! i hope you enjoy part six. part seven- the last and final part- coming soon :)

The brisk wind of early October whipped around the Hogwarts grounds. It flipped the bottom of Keith’s robes up, exposing his ankles and causing him to shiver slightly. The change from the warm, sunny days of September had happened almost overnight, the chill of fall hitting fast as the leaves on the grand oak trees began to flutter towards the ground. He tugged his scarf tighter around his neck, suddenly glad that he had run back into the dorms to grab it before heading out to the quidditch mound.

 

When Shiro had passed on his role as Gryffindor team captain to Keith, he had been both surprised and skeptical. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother’s decision. He knew that Shiro would never have passed it to him unless he thought that Keith was more than capable of being a good captain. “You’re the right choice, Keith,” he had said simply. “This team is strong. They trust you, and your tactics, to bring home a win. They believe in you- and so do I.” Shiro had smiled and placed one hand on his shoulder, the same way he always did during one of his wise, older brother talks. “You just have to believe in yourself.”

 

And he was trying. He really was. He had been putting in extra planning sessions, using that big white erase board Shiro had always used to draw up new tactics, separated by house, by player, by weather conditions. Gryffindor hadn’t lost the quidditch cup yet and he  _ certainly  _ wasn’t about to be the reason that they finally did. He left that white erase board (which his brother hd meticulously cleaned after a planning session) covered in smudge marks and hastily erased lines, knowing all too well that he would be back the following day with a brand new strategy after Lance poked holes in the one he had just come up with today. 

 

The warmth that spread through him at the thought of his boyfriend- and classmate, and teammate, and friend, and  _ god _ , Lance was such a huge part of his life- could nearly push out the chill of the mid afternoon wind. Keith hadn’t seen him in hours, not since their shared Potions class at dawn, and he was smart enough to recognize the pang of longing that squeezed his heart. He pulled out his locket as he walked back towards the castle and gazed at the marking on the front- an eye, encased in vines. He traced the symbol with his thumb, remembering when he had found it in the ancient relics shop in Diagon Alley. He hadn’t opened it until he had Professor Thace check it over first, wary of the marking and if it had any Dark Magic surrounding it. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor cleared it with a few exposure charms, and had handed it back with an easy smile. “All clear. And a good catch, too- this locket can show you a glimpse of anyone, anywhere, so long as you know their full name. I should really be confiscating it from you,” he had said. He had laughed briefly at Keith’s indignant face, the young wizard ready to argue, and had continued, “I’m not going to, of course. I trust you with this kind of power, Keith. Don’t abuse it.”

 

He had sworn to use the locket for menial things. Like making sure Shiro was okay; the fear that his older brother could disappear was silly, but looking into the locket and seeing him attempting to catch some sleep in between shifts at St. Mungo's reassured the worry that sometimes encased and smothered Keith’s logical side. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t used it to escape a few professors when he was out for a late night stroll around the castle- insomnia could be a pain sometimes and being caught out of bed after curfew would only make it worse. Now, he flipped it open, looking into the swirling vapor that rose from the locket. “Show me Leandro Alvarez-McClain,” he whispered. They had realized quickly that the locket didn’t work on nicknames, so Keith had quirked an eyebrow towards his boyfriend and had waited patiently for his real name. Lance had offered it willingly, a small smile on his face when he responded, and Keith had felt just a little bit closer to him in that moment. He still felt that feeling now, as he said the name of the person that he loved most in the world. 

 

The vapor shimmered for a brief second before stabilizing. An image of Lance appeared, fuzzy but still clear enough for him to see. He was standing on what looked like a ladder, with a faint orange glow surrounding him. Keith could just barely make out the long tables of the Great Hall behind him. He pushed his confusion at the scene aside and headed for the castle, eager to see his boyfriend’s smiling face again.

 

He climbed up the stairs to the castle, slipping through the doorway discreetly. Students were rushing to and from lessons, their conversations fading into low hum as they passed by. He walked down the hallway towards the Great Hall, where he could see a crowd of people gathered, some of them running into the room in a frantic hurry. The doors had been thrown wide open, so he meandered inside with the crowd. The large dining hall was in the middle of being transformed: pumpkins and crisp brown leaves sat upon every table while the candles that normally hung in the chandeliers above them had been replaced with candles that now flickered an eerie orange. Keith glanced around the room in an attempt to take in all of the festive changes and had to hold back a laugh when his eyes landed on the front of the room. 

 

Lance was standing on a chair, one of his long arms stretched out to reach a shelf in the corner of the room. A witch’s hat rested on his head, threatening to slip off at any moment, but he ignored it in favor of pushing the plastic bat higher on the shelf. Keith saw the chair stagger a little and rushed forward as quietly as he could. He stopped directly behind the other boy and smirked up at him as he let out a frustrated groan. “Pretty spooky,” he called out.

 

He jumped slightly at the sound of Keith’s voice, just as he was reaching forward to place the bat on the shelf. The chair tipped forward, throwing Lance backward as it fell. Instinctually, Keith opened his arms, catching the surprised boy and saving him from hitting the marble floor. He blinked, confused, before he grinned and patted Keith’s cheek. “Nice save, Red.” 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Lance laughed, his bright eyes sparkling happily. “Falling for you, it seems.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and dropped his arms. “That’s a lame joke, even for you,” he replied, but he was smiling softly. “I meant, what are you doing with this?” He held up the plastic bat and raised one eyebrow at it.

 

“I’m decorating for Halloween! Don’t tell me you forgot about the feast? You wouldn’t shut up about that pumpkin clover pie last year.” He snatched the bat back from Keith and glared at it. He pulled out his wand with a sigh and levitated the decoration up to the shelf, where it fit snuggly amongst the other creepy creatures placed there.

 

“It was good pie,” Keith muttered defensively. “And of course I didn’t forget. How did you get roped into decorating, though?” Although, knowing Lance, it probably hadn’t taken much persuasion to get him to help out. He loved decorating for holidays- something that Keith had found out while at the McClain’s home during Christmas break the year prior. He had watched the youngest McClain sit on the floor underneath the nearly decorated tree and sort through ornaments. He had held them up for Keith to look at occasionally and would usually jump into whatever story accompanied it like “that time that Veronica broke her arm while sledding” or “when we went back to Cuba during the holiday and Marco stepped on a shell” before he hung it on the tree. 

 

“Part of my duties as Prefect,” he replied happily. Lance had picked up a string of orange twinkle lights and had it wrapped around his neck as he readjusted one of the pumpkins on the table. “All of the prefects are required to help with decorating, on top of the whole ‘enforcing the rules’ thing.” He hummed thoughtfully as he fixed the leaves carefully. “I don’t really mind though.”

 

Keith nodded and helped push the leaves back into their spot. “I figured you didn’t,” he said. He stopped pushing the leaves and looked at Lance out of the corner of his eye. He looked happy, his blue eyes glinting in the glow of the twinkle lights. The same longing squeezed his heart as he watched his boyfriend add little touches to the already perfect decorations and nod to himself in satisfaction. Keith reached out, tugging on each end of the light strand gently, using them to pull the other boy towards him. Lance stumbled closer and laughed, his arms wrapping around Keith’s waist. 

 

“Can I help you?” He asked teasingly. He pinched Keith’s side lightly. “Are you jealous of the pumpkin?” 

 

“I’m not jealous of the pumpkin!” Keith insisted. He laughed and pressed his forehead against Lance’s gently. He felt a hand move from his waist to his hair and he smiled the slightest bit more. “I just missed you, that’s all.”

 

He heard a quiet sigh. “I missed you too. I know it’s only been a few hours since we’ve seen each other but for some reason it feels like it’s been longer.” Lance shook his head slightly and shuffled back to look Keith in the eyes. The hand from his hair drifted down to tuck his way too long bangs behind his ear before it came to rest on his cheek. “Which reminds me… can you meet me after Herbology? Our spot. I have something I want to ask you.” He chuckled at the nervous look that flashed across Keith’s face. “It’s nothing bad! Just… find me after class, okay?”

 

Keith was silent for a few seconds, his mind already running away from him as he tried to think of what Lance could want to ask him. He pushed those thoughts aside and nodded briskly. “Sure,” he replied. “I’ll see you after class.”

 

Lance leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek softly. “See you then, cariño.” He turned away just as the Slytherin Head Boy floated a pumpkin nearly as tall as he was through the double doors. His eyes widened and he gestured to the pumpkin, frustration coloring his voice. “Where are we supposed to put  _ that? _ ”

 

Keith was already walking away, his hands held up sheepishly. “That sounds like your problem, Mr. Prefect.” He grinned as he strolled out of the Great Hall, giving a small wave over his shoulder.

 

He chuckled when he heard Lance’s agitated yell come from the room behind him. “That thing is  _ huge! _ Avroy, use a shrinking charm before it crushes us!”

 

* * *

 

Weekly training lessons with Professor Thace were definitely the highlight of Keith’s week.

 

Thace had argued that he didn’t really need extra training when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts, considering that he was the top student in the class, but finally relented after Keith had bothered him a few more times about it. He might have been the top student in the class but if he wanted to become an Auror, he couldn’t just settle for being the best. Not knowing one spell could be the difference between living and dying in that field of work- and he really wasn’t aiming to die anytime soon.

 

“So,” Thace spoke confidently as he lowered his wand. “That’s one way to reverse the effects of the Full Body-Bind Curse. There’s a few other ways, though those aren’t exactly respectable to teach a sixteen year old wizard, unfortunately.” He looked rather disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to show Keith illegal countercurses (and, if he was being honest, he was a bit disappointed too) but he nodded in satisfaction. “I suppose you only need to know one countercurse.” He looked at Keith briefly and grinned. “Oh, I suppose you would like to be able to move.  _ Petrificus Totalus, _ ” he muttered, his wand pointing directly at the young wizard’s chest.

 

Keith fell to the floor. He stretched his arms and groaned when he felt a tingling sensation move through his body. “Excellent,” he replied sarcastically. “I’m starting to regret suggesting that you practice hexes on me. I’m going to be sore for the rest of the day,” he complained. They had decided early on in his training that it would be an advantage for Keith to experience the effects of all minor curses and hexes, as that was a vital part of the three year training once a wizard had been accepted into the Auror Training Academy.

 

He just had to remind himself that the pins and needles feeling in his arms and legs following the Full Body-Bind Curse were worth the added advantage.

 

Thace laughed heartily, pulling Keith from his thoughts. He helped the irritated teenager to his feet and leaned against his desk, knocking a few papers to the floor. Keith glanced at them, making out the names of a few of his classmates and the word “midterm” underneath. The professor ignored them completely.

 

“Okay. One more spell, and then I’m afraid I’ll have to excuse myself. I’ve been summoned to a… meeting. For the Halloween dance.” He couldn’t have sounded less interested if he tried, and Keith found himself fighting back a grin. He and Professor Thace had gotten along well from the first day of classes and he was honored to be learning from someone as experienced as his professor was, his time as an ex- Azkaban guard making him a good instructor when it came to the Dark Arts.

 

“Sir? I actually had a question for you,” Keith began. Thace looked surprised, but gestured for him to continue. “I was wondering how extensive your knowledge of Patronuses was…”

 

“Are you suggesting that I’m an amatuer at the Patronus charm? Because I assure you, Mr. Kogane, I am not.”

 

“No! Of course not,” Keith insisted. He looked at Thace uncertainty before he explained the reason behind his question. “It’s just that something has…  _ happened _ to mine and I’m not sure what it means.”

 

Thace nodded. “I see. Perhaps it would be easier to explain if you showed me?” he suggested. 

 

Keith looked down at the floor, the same way he always did whenever the subject of the Patronus charm came up. He wasn’t bad at producing a patronus- in fact, he was the first student in his class to manage a corporeal patronus. He can still remember the exhilarating feeling he got from watching the shadowy outline of his wolf stalk across the room before vanishing into thin air. However, a patronus could only be conjured by focusing on truly happy memories- something that he still had trouble with from time to time.

 

“Listen to me, Keith,” Thace said gently. “I know that conjuring happy thoughts isn’t always the easiest thing for someone to do. I know that better than anyone because I had the same problem.” Keith looked up from the floor just in time to catch Thace smiling at him. “I found happiness in my friends, rather than my family,” he explained.

 

Keith smiled back at him. “Yeah, my friends are always what I think of.” He paused, wondering briefly how much his professor really needed to know about his life before he continued. “Usually I think about Lance,” he admitted.

 

Thace smiled knowingly. “Ah yes, Mr. McClain. I know it’s not my place to pry into my student’s lives but I must admit that you seem… much happier, as of late.” He nudged the Gryffindor boy slightly and laughed at how his ears turned red. “Happy is a good look on you, Keith.”

 

“Please, please stop, Professor,” he groaned. Both of his hands were covering his face sheepishly at the gentle ribbing. “Can I just show you my patronus?”

 

“Of course,” Thace conceded. He smirked at the still flushed boy as he sat on top of the desk, more papers fluttering to the ground as he did so. “I’ll refrain from asking what your happiest memory is.”

 

Keith flushed again, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he raised his wand. “Thank you, Sir. I’m not really interested in describing my first date with Lance to you,” he replied. 

 

He focused on that memory with precise intensity, latching on to the warmth that spread through him as he thought back to a night almost a year prior. The two of them had been out on the Quidditch field after the rest of the team had already retired, the two of them diving and weaving around each other. When the had touched back down, Lance had rushed at him, his normally glowing brown skin flushed pink from the wind of the field and from their own proximity. He had felt heat rise to his own face as his boyfriend had reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers together. Keith had dropped his broom, the wooden handle hitting the grass with a soft thud that both of them ignored. “I know we’re supposed to eat in the dining hall,” Lance had said, his voice hushed like what he was saying was some sort of secret. “But I’m pretty sure that Hunk can convince one of the elves to sneak us some food.” He had leaned closer, one hand coming up to tuck Keith’s dark hair behind his ear. His eyes were as mischievous as ever and it had sent a thrill through him when he had met Lance’s gaze. “I don’t really want to be around everyone else right now,” he had admitted with a small smile. He tilted his head slightly, the setting sun casting an almost ethereal glow around his head. His windswept hair looked all too inviting, and Keith felt his hand twitch with the need to run his fingers through the soft, fluffy locks. Lance smiled like he could sense where Keith’s mind had gone and he felt himself flush the tiniest bit more in embarrassment. The hand in his own tightened slightly, and he focused back on the bright smile of the boy that had stolen his heart. “Honestly,” Lance had breathed out, “I only want to be with you.”

 

He could hear Lance’s voice faintly whisper those words over and over as a bright light escaped from the tip of his wand. He saw a shape spill from the smoke that had formed and watched it flounce around the room for at least a minute before it evaporated. The memory faded away at the same time that the animal had as well, and Keith turned to look back at Thace, his expression guarded. 

 

“Keith,” Thace said quietly. “What animal had your patronus been when you first succeeded in conjuring it?”

 

“A wolf,” he answered.

 

Thace nodded, almost to himself. “That… was not a wolf,” he stated.

 

“I know, Sir.”

 

Thace stood and walked towards Keith. He seemed to be lost in thought, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “I may have an answer to your question. Just let me find…” he trailed off. He passed Keith completely and went to a filing cabinet behind him. “You’re very lucky I keep organized notes, otherwise we’d be here for days,” he muttered. 

 

Keith looked at the midterm essays still scattered on the ground, the top of which said “Keith Kogane” and raised one eyebrow in disbelief. He held his tongue, not wanting to disturb his professor as he dug through the charts in his records. Thace pulled out a file and flipped it open, humming quietly under his breath. He stopped about halfway down the page before he smiled. He looked pleased with whatever was on the sheet that he was looking at and that calmed the young student considerably- he had been convinced that his patronus was malfunctioning, perhaps due to one too many pessimistic thoughts.

 

“Keith,” Thace said. “This is a chart of all of patronuses that your fellow classmates have been able to produce. For some of them, the chart is blank, as they have yet to produce a corporeal patronus.” Keith nodded and waited for his professor to explain. “Do you happen to know what the patronus you just conjured was?”

 

He frowned, trying to remember what the small animal had looked like. “I’m… not sure, honestly.”

 

“It was an otter.” Thace looked back at the sheet and then stared at Keith, a smile threatening to sneak through his blank faced demeanor. “There’s only one other student at Hogwarts with an otter as their patronus.” The smile did actually appear on his face after that, the older man looking thrilled by his discovery. “Can you guess which student that might be?”

 

He found himself answering before he even had a chance to think about the question. “It’s Lance, isn’t it?” he asked.

 

Thace’s smile widened. “It’s Lance, yes.” He tossed the sheet down on the desk and there, in red ink as clear as day, were the words  _ Lance McClain Corporeal Conjure: Otter. _

 

“So… what exactly does that mean?” Keith asked uncertainty. They had both taken the same exam a year ago and Thace’s sheet confirmed that his patronus had certainly been a grey wolf. What could make his patronus change from a wolf to an otter over the course of a year? 

 

“There’s only two causes for someone’s patronus to change. One cause is a great loss, usually relating to the passing of someone dear. While Mr. McClain was indeed asleep in my class earlier today, he was most definitely alive, so that cannot be the case here.” He looked at Keith’s confused face for just a moment before he continued. “The other cause is intense emotion, perhaps one that the conjurer has never felt before.”

 

Keith nodded, taking in the explanation. He mused it over, considered the cause… and froze. 

 

One would have thought Thace had hexed him again with the Body-Bind Curse due to how frozen in place Keith had become. “So…” he stammered. Thace seemed to be enjoying his reaction; he had his arms crossed and an easy smile on his face, the ideal image of calm and serenity while he watched the sixteen year old flounder in front of him. “What are you saying, exactly?” he asked, as if he needed confirmation for what his own brain had already figured out.

 

Thace grinned fully at that. “To put it simply? You’re in love,” he replied. He shrugged when Keith’s eyes widened. “Sometimes, witches and wizards fall so deeply in love that it can change the strength of their natural magic. That seems to be the case here,” he said. “It happens. Not often, I’ll admit, but it does happen.”

 

“What do you mean by not often?” His voice sounded weak to his own ears, almost like he was in a state of shock. He supposed he was; it wasn’t shocking to him that he loved Lance, but to hear it stated so simply was messing with his head- and his heart. He knew as soon as Thace said it that it was true; he could feel the warmth that he usually felt whenever he was around Lance spread through him as he mulled it over. Maybe that was what love was like… an intense, all consuming kind of heat. His heart felt heavy but in the best way possible. It was sort of exciting, while also being incredibly nerve-wracking.

 

“Well,” Thace was saying, and Keith had sort of forgotten he was even present for a moment there. “Love happens often, obviously. But a patronus changing because of it? Not all that common.” He grinned wider, his expression filled with genuine happiness. “What you feel for Lance must be incredibly strong in order to change the complicated magic of a patronus.”

 

“It is,” Keith replied almost instantly. He flushed at his quick response, but his professor just continued to watch him with interest. “I mean, I can feel it. It’s always there. Almost like it’s a piece of me.”

 

“It is,” he confirmed. “Love really is the strongest emotion one can have, Keith. Once it exists, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of.” He smirked as he watched the student consider this. “Although something tells me you don’t want to get rid of this feeling.”

 

“Never,” he said, and he could feel the heat jump again. “If loving him is a part of me… then it’s the best part of me. I’d never want to stop loving him,” he replied. It was incredible how much saying the words out loud grounded him. He had never felt so certain of something in his life.

 

The older man smiled at his confession. “Well then I suppose you should tell him that.” He glanced down at his watch just as two of the four hands moved to a picture of a hat. Thace sighed, glaring at the glowing watch. “It seems I’m late for my meeting,” he grumbled. “And as much as I would love to stay here and talk to you, I’m afraid I must go.” He grabbed the papers from the floor and tossed them on the desk before he strode towards the door. “Good luck with your discovery, Keith. I wish you all the best.” He smiled again before he opened the door, disappearing into the castle and leaving Keith behind to think about the strength of his own heart.

 

* * *

 

Keith’s brain felt scrambled after his lesson with Professor Thace. He climbed the stairs to the Astronomy Tower on shaky legs, eager to get Divination over with. Thace’s words replayed in his head all throughout Professor Lovegood’s two hour lesson on tea leaf readings and caused him to knock over his own teacup. Professor Lovegood spun around to face him the second she heard the crash, but surprisingly, she smiled. “Ah! That’s quite alright,” she said. He bent down to help her pick up the shards of glass, being extra careful not to cut himself on the edges. “There’s an old muggle myth that broken glass is bad luck, but I’ve found in my studies that it signifies a change of state. That the glass breaker is entering a new stage of their own growth.” Her smile was kind, but her eyes held an all too knowing mirth. “Something to keep in mind,” she said as she discarded the shards of glass. 

 

He spent the next hour and half shaking his leg and idly wondering if Professor Lovegood was actually psychic, or if he had become the subject of gossip between his instructors.

 

The chime signaling the end of class rang out, breaking through his wandering thoughts. Keith stood, noticing that his legs were a lot less shaky now that he had time to work through his emotions. He walked up the tower towards the seventh floor and began to head for the spot he promised he’d meet Lance. The other boy had gotten out of Care of Magical Creatures at the same time Divination ended, and he was no doubt already on his way to their spot. 

 

“Their spot” had been an amazing find. In their second year, the two of them had been wandering around the castle, looking for nothing in particular- though Lance seemed positive that they’d find something. He remembered the way that the excited twelve year old had shrugged and said with absolute certainty, “There’s got to be a secret room around here somewhere.” He had laughed at the incredulous look on Keith’s face. “Every castle has a secret room, Keith!”

 

Ironically, that’s what they had found: a secret room, hidden right in plain sight. The room was in the middle of the seventh floor corridor, but could only be accessed by walking in front of the wall three times. It had been different nearly every time that they had gone inside. In the past, it had been both a quiet place to study and a large, extravagant ballroom, depending on their needs. When he reached the wall where the door always appeared, he saw a blue line of chalk drawn on the white marble and knew what to ask for.  _ I need the place where Lance is waiting,  _ he thought. After his third pass, he saw that the wall had turned into a doorway, and he reached for the brass handle. He stopped briefly to wipe the blue chalk off of the wall next to the door before he stepped inside.

 

This time, the room had become one of Lance’s favorite spots. The space was small, just big enough for a couch and the small coffee table that rested on a midnight blue rug. The left wall, which normally separated the room from the Prefect’s bathroom, was now a large window that looked out over the lake. The window was open to let in the setting sunlight, letting a light breeze blow the sheer curtains gently. Lance was sitting on the loveseat underneath the window when he walked inside, watching the sun drop below the horizon. He smiled sweetly at Keith as he walked towards the bench. “Took you long enough,” he teased, his hand outstretched and waiting for Keith’s own, slightly rougher hand. 

 

He took Lance’s hand and locked theirs together before he dropped down on the seat next to him. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he replied, his own smile twisting teasingly. 

 

“S’not a big deal.” He leaned back against the wall and looked at Keith, his normally cheerful smile fading into something more serious. “I’d probably wait forever if you asked me to,” he said softly.

 

Keith felt a jolt run through him, the nerves he had been feeling before coming back full force. Whatever Lance had to say weighed heavily on his mind, judging from the lack of jokes and cheerful flirting that he normally greeted Keith with. He bit his lip as they sat there, his thumb mindlessly stroking over the back of Keith’s hand as his eyes wandered back towards the black lake. 

 

“So about before,” Lance started.

 

“I have something to tell you,” Keith said. They both spoke at the same time and they blinked in surprise before they laughed. “Okay, my thing can wait. You go first.”

 

“No, no,” the other boy insisted. “I’m curious now! You have something to tell me?” He poked Keith’s stomach with a light chuckle. “Tell me, tell me, come on Red, I have to know!” He continued to poke at Keith as he spoke, each poke more insistent than the last. 

 

It never failed to make Keith laugh, and he couldn’t hold back this time either. He pushed the hand away before Lance could poke him again, and attempted to fix his face into a frown. It didn’t work, the edges of his smile still slipping through. “No, I’ll go after you. I can see that whatever it is that you have to say is eating at you.”

 

Lance sobered quickly at that. He looked nervous, the same nervous energy that he normally had before an exam or a quidditch match. He ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly and shook his head. “No, it’s not… eating at me, exactly.” He came a little bit closer, only a few inches from Keith’s face. He took a breath, and if Keith had been nervous before, well now? Those nerves doubled. 

 

Still, he smiled encouragingly, and nodded for him continue. 

 

He took another breath and dropped his eyes to their intertwined hands. “It’s not a big thing, you know, I just- I- I had a thought.”

 

“Thinking is good,” Keith teased.

 

“Alright, calm down with the jokes, Red. What is this, amateur hour at the Laugh Lounge?” He smiled regardless, and looked slightly less nervous. “Look,” he said. “These NEWT level classes are kicking both of our asses. I mean, we’re lucky that we have some of the same classes, but even with that, I feel like I spend more time missing you than actually being with you.” 

 

Keith nodded, though he was confused as to where the other boy was actually going with that. “Definitely. It’s gotten a lot harder.”

 

That seemed to spur Lance on. “Exactly! And it’s only going to get harder, you know? Next year we actually have to sit the NEWTs and assuming we pass- well you’ll definitely pass, I’m not worried about that-”

 

“As will you, Mr. Top of the Class,” Keith interjected. “Go on.”

 

“I guess what I’m saying is… We’re not going to be at Hogwarts soon. We won’t be in the same classes… if all goes well, I’ll be working twenty hour shifts at St. Mungo’s and you’ll be in Auror Training for three more years.” He looked small, like the prospect of their futures intimidated him more than he had let on. “We’re never going to get time together if we both want steady careers. All we’ll have time for is eating, working and sleeping.”

 

Keith wasn’t sure he liked the direction that this conversation was going in. He pulled his hand back and rested it on his lap, picking at a thread on his sweater. He stared at it determinedly. “What are you saying, Lance?”

 

“No, no, give me that,” Lance snapped. He pulled his hand back and tangled their hands together again. “Stop thinking you know what I mean.” He sighed and met Keith’s confused look head on. “What I’m saying is… sleep with me.”

 

_ “What?” _

 

“Shit, no that… this is going to be hysterical in a few minutes,” he muttered. “Move in with me. That’s what I’m saying, Keith.” He smiled sheepishly. “If all we’ll have time for is eating and sleeping than I want to do that with you, in our own house. Or apartment. I’m not really sure what the starting salary is at St. Mungo’s, I’ll have to ask Shiro-”

 

“Wait, wait.” Keith held his free hand up and gestured for Lance to stop talking. “You want to live together? After we graduate?” 

 

“Yeah,” he admitted quietly. He leaned in closer to Keith, so that there was barely any space between them. “Is that such a crazy idea?”

 

“Crazy? No, of course not.” Keith shrugged as he tossed the idea around in his head. “We basically already live together… sharing a space after school isn’t as crazy as you think,” he said with a smile. “Besides, I can’t think of anything better than having our own home.”

 

“Really?” Lance’s voice sounded hopeful, like he couldn’t believe that Keith had actually said yes.

 

“Really.” 

 

Keith wasn’t sure who was happier, him or Lance. He felt a small bubble of joy rise in his chest, reminding him of the first time they had ever kissed, on the field following the Triwizard Tournament. They had both been unbelievably happy that day, both of them overjoyed at the fact that Lance had succeeded at something so incredible.

 

Instantly, his mind jumped to  _ his _ big secret. Keith smiled as his boyfriend leaned closer, clearly attempting to kiss him. He held his palm up just as Lance made contact with it and laughed at the confused look on his face. “Hold that thought,” he said, a sly smile on his face. “I have something to tell you, remember?”

 

“Ah, yeah. What’s your big news, Red?” He was smug as he watched Keith climb to his feet and pull out his wand. “Not going to lie, I’m pretty sure my news has yours beat.”

 

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” he replied. He raised his wand, thankful that he had mastered nonverbal spells, as that would make this more of a surprise. He tried to hold on to every good memory that he’d ever had and found himself trying to hold back a laugh when he realized that the most vibrant memories all featured Lance in some way. He really shouldn’t have been surprised by his patronus changing, considering that all of his best memories featured the boy that sat in front of him, a gentle smile on his face as he watched curiously. The end of his wand glowed brightly, a vapor like smoke escaping like a cloud. The vapor shifted as it twisted in air, forming the small animal that he had conjured earlier in the day. The solid form of the otter jumped around the room before soaring past Lance and out the window, disappearing into the night. 

 

There was a beat of silence in which Lance’s eyes widened as he processed the patronus shape. Finally, after what seemed like lifetime, the words came flowing from his mouth, too fast to make sense of them. 

 

“Wha- how- how did you- that’s my patronus?” he asked weakly. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“But… how is that possible?” 

 

Keith snorted as he sat back down by the window. “Through a lot of complicated natural magic laws, apparently.” He took both of Lance’s hands in his own. It was almost natural for them to link together now, the weight of each other’s grip providing both comfort and stability. He stared at their hands as he spoke, trying to summon all of that courage and bravery that gryffindors were so well known for. “The simple explanation, though is that…” he refused to look up at his boyfriend’s kind face, afraid that he’d close back up if he did so. “I love you. Or I’m in love with you. I’m not really sure what the difference is but they both seem like they fit so I guess they both would apply to th-”

 

Lance’s hand came to his chin and tilted his head up, forcing Keith to meet his eyes. He leaned in slowly and pressed his mouth to Keith’s, effectively cutting off his rambling. Their kisses were usually gentle, but this one felt different than all of the others. His soft lips moved so slowly that Keith found himself melting into it, his body unconsciously leaning forward to close whatever space still remained between them. He felt one of Lance’s arms wrap around his waist as the other came up gently trace down the line of his jaw. He felt a tug on his bottom lip and gasped, a soft groan escaping as he opened his mouth. Heat spread through him like an inferno- down the back of his neck, through his veins, into his lungs- as they moved in time with each other. Lance kissed him softly once before he pulled back. They were pressed close enough that Keith could feel Lance’s chest expand as he sucked in a shallow breath. He smiled softly as their eyes met, the dazed look on his face sending heavy waves of affection rolling through Keith. Lance moved close again and pressed soft kisses not to Keith’s mouth, but all over his face. He kissed the edge of his eyes, down the side of jaw and across his cheeks, each kiss light as a feather. He kissed the tip of his nose, causing Keith to smile, and then kissed each side of his smile before he pressed their lips together one more time. 

 

“In case it wasn’t clear,” Lance whispered, his breath still uneven. “I love you, too.”

 

* * *

 

Defense Against the Dark Arts training was going well. 

 

At least, it was now that Keith had set up a strict “no talking about Lance” rule during lessons. Thace had used the embarrassment he had whenever they brought up his boyfriend as a distraction and Keith only needed to be knocked on his ass a few times before realizing that he wasn’t going to get anything accomplished so long as he shared that kind of information with his instructor.

 

Besides, he had the vague suspicion that his professors were talking about him behind his back. Professor Lovegood might be a good instructor, but he really couldn’t figure out how she could have known that he had “found his happy place” without even looking into her tea leaves- that was, until he saw her and Thace sitting next to each other during dinner, smiling to themselves and purposefully avoiding making eye contact with him. 

 

“Let’s practice something easy to finish up today,” Thace said. The sleeves of his jumper had been rolled up during the brisk duel they had just finished and he pulled them back down as he spoke. “How about taking another swing at the boggart?”

 

A boggart was a nasty thing for most to face. Stepping up and facing your deepest fears was never an easy task; countless of his classmates had backed away, terrified, as snakes, spiders, clowns, fire- pretty much every fear you could think of- emerged from the darkness. But for those with emotional trauma… sometimes the scariest thing could come from the most mundane sort of things.

 

For Keith, it was always himself.

 

Himself, or rather,  _ not _ himself. A tormented, haunted version of himself. After he had faced the boggart in his third year at Hogwarts, he had nightmares about the creature that had walked out from the shadows. A mirror image of himself, down to the strands of hair that fell in his eyes way too often, but always with blood red eyes instead of his own dark gray. He would wake up in terror, sweating from his subconscious desire to run as far away as he could and wouldn’t be able to sleep. On one night of fear induced insomnia, he had gone for a walk around the halls to clear his head. Shiro had found him on the third floor after leaving the Ravenclaw dorms and had walked with him back to Gryffindor house. He had let Keith ramble about the nightmare until they were back in the common room. And when his older brother had leaned in for a hug, his prosthetic arm wrapped tight around Keith’s shoulder, all he could think about was how lucky he was to have the Shirogane’s and their kindness in his life. He couldn’t help but wonder if Boggart Keith was the version of himself that had never met the Shirogane’s. The version that had never whispered hints to Shiro to help him beat Adam during wizard chess. The version that had never known the world of magic or the kindness of his friends.

 

The version who had never met Lance. 

 

That was where he had stopped himself. He didn’t want to think about his life without Lance- because he  _ did  _ have Lance. He could hear his soft snores from the bed a few feet away and that had soothed whatever demon had woken up inside of him at the sight of the fearsome creature. Whatever had caused that version of Keith wasn’t  _ real _ . The real Keith knew the love of his friends and new found family. He knew, now, what true love actually felt like- and he was so much stronger because of it.

 

Still, he groaned at the suggestion of fighting it off yet again. “How many times are you going to make me face that thing?” He knew he sounded irritated but they had done this drill hundreds of times before- he was sick of practicing the same spells over and over again.

 

His professor laughed as he pulled the cloth off of the cupboard that held the boggart. As soon as the cloth was gone, it began to shake violently, rattling the wooden box so fiercely that one of the handles looked ready to fall off. “Until it takes you less than a solid minute to make it change form,” he replied breezily. “I believe twenty seven seconds is the fastest record in the Auror training academy.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes at the teasing infliction in Thace’s voice. “Yeah, yeah. Just open the damn thing, will you?”

 

He obliged as soon as the Gryffindor boy had faced the cupboard with his wand out. Determination set over his face as Thace placed his hands on the shaking doorknob. “Are you ready?” he called out.

 

Keith took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “Ready.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> i brought luna lovegood back because why not and i love her?
> 
> i also brought thace back from the dead for those same reasons. sorry not sorry.


End file.
